A True Love Never Dies
by BonesBird
Summary: What did Hotch say to Haley after Rossi left him in the cemetery at the end of “The Slave Of Duty” - probably been done before. Don't care. please read and review. Spoilers for almost all of S5...


**Title: A True Love Never Dies  
Author: BonesBird  
Summary: What did Hotch say to Haley after Rossi left him in the cemetery at the end of "The Slave Of Duty"  
Disclaimer: However good my stories are, its coz they are based on someone else's characters. My own suck. These guys belong to CBS  
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**Dedication: Spo, Swantonio, Cayla, Nicole, Emily W, Tom, Graham, Stuart, Matt, Justin, Lee, Emily Jen, Fabi, Kelly, Paige, Sam, Drew, Devin, and any other RL or twitter friend who has touched my life. Remember to tell the people you love that you love them every day.  
**

**Lyrics: Say Goodbye - S Club (long lyrics)**

**This has probably been done a million times, but I want to write my take anyway.**

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_Sometimes goodbye, though it hurts in your heart  
Is the only way for destiny  
Sometimes goodbye, though it hurts  
Is the only way now for you and me  
Though it's the hardest thing to say  
I'll miss your love in every way  
So say goodbye, but don't you cry  
Because a true love never dies_

He had just told Rossi she knew he was staying, but there were so many other things that he need to say to her, things he wanted to say to her. Things that he had never been able to, and could never, admit to anyone else. He had shared most of his life with her, and he knew now that he shouldn't have let the job get in the way. He felt guilty, for picking the job over Jack, or that's how it felt to him.

"Haley. I don't know if you can hear me. I'll never know that. But I need your guidance now. So I'm going to say all this out load, and let how well I know you take me to where you would tell me to go. I'm going back to the BAU, I don't think there was ever really any doubt about that. I put my job before you, and before Jack, many times and that meant that you suffered.

Foyet. He was a huge regret I will never be able to remove. Not only did he ruin strangers lives. People who after the case I would never see again, but he ruined my life, then he ruined Jack's, and he ended yours.

I'm so sorry, Haley.

If only I had found him soon, if only I had kept a closer watch on him the first time he was in custody. If only… if only…

I have a thousand regrets. A thousand more thoughts of what could have been's. A thousand more possible outcomes now and another thousand images of what bringing Jack up without you would be." He paused, listened to the leaves being gently blown in the wind, he had never been one to let his feelings out, but Haley had always found a way to draw them out of him, to pull him into a place he could speak about things that would terrify him in the night, causing him to bolt upright in a cold sweat. The images of victims he'd been unable to save, the faces of the unsubs he'd managed to put away.

"I'm going back, to the BAU, I know that means leaving Jack with Jessica, but that's what she wanted, she almost begged me to let her help me, she knew that this job was my life. She also knew that you and I didn't separate because of a lack of love, or a lack of trust in our marriage, but purely because my dedication to my job was ruining your life, and had the chance to do the same to Jack.

I wish I'd been around more. Stopped by more often when I was home. Spent more nights cuddled with Jack on the sofa. Spent more nights trying to convince you that I was changing, I was trying to show you all I could be.

My heart is on the line. Haley. I don't know what I should do. I know I'll go back to the team, You know I will too, you know me well enough. But how do I raise Jack alone. I may be the one fighting the worlds bad guys, but you were the strong one. Haley. You had to be the strong one to raise Jack as alone as you did. He's an amazing little boy. He's perfect, and he's so much like you that it sometimes hurts for me to look at him.

I promise I'll bring him by soon" Hotch fell silent as he hoped her spirit would guide him to do the right things for Jack, and the right things for himself.

As he stood to leave he blew a kiss at her grave.

"I love you" he whispered, and walked away.

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**The dedication to this chapter is split so many ways because I love every person mentioned and so many others besides. I hold on hope for a day when needless death ceases to be. Swantonio has been gone 18 months, and Sophie 2 and a half, and I miss them both more than I ever thought I would. They are forever sleeping now. I have been dwelling on them a lot this last couple of weeks, and that has lead to this story.I rewatched "The Slave Of Duty" to write this fic, and Haley's funeral reminds me so much of Spo's I can't help but cry my heart out every time. So this story has been written through the tears. I wish my muse would leave death alone, but seemingly, it won't.  
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**If you read it, please review.**


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